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Posts Tagged ‘Continuum Program’
Tech Support for Indie Artists from Indie Artists – Guest Blog
Ethan Waldman was one of the Music Success in Nine Week Blog Challengers that I connected with during the contest (you may also recognize him as being the Paratroopa in my newsletter a few months ago). Many artists approach me for web tech advice and so I thought it would be helpful to let Ethan (a fellow artist) share (on my blog) what he is getting up to: creating a service for independent artists to help them with the burden of tech problems and strategies.
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Cloud Coaching
by Ethan Waldman
During my second round through Ariel Hyatt’s Music Success in Nine Week challenge, I was challenged with the task of creating a Continuum Program. Basically, it’s a plan for alternative streams of income that are related to your music to help you make it as an independent musician. It was at that time that I became fully aware of the paradox of my day job.
The Day Job Paradox
One one hand, my comfortable 8-5 job allows me to purchase musical instruments, recording software and hardware, and generally indulge in my musical whims. It pays the rent at my house where I keep said equipment, and bought the car that I drive to gigs in.
On the other hand, it consumes 50 waking hours per week, plus an additional 10 hours on a commuting. That’s over half of all of my waking hours for the week, spent in an environment that stifles my musical output and creativity. Add to that that I’m most creative and energized at about 10 AM, my day job is seriously putting a cramp on my style, so to speak.
Enter: Self Employment
So, I realized that I needed to make some changes and begin to take the steps required to become self employed. While music is my main and most spiritually rewarding passion, I recognize that I have other marketable strengths and skills that I enjoy putting to use. Back in February, I started working with a fantastic life coach named Jonathan Mead. The goal? To build a business doing what I love that provides the flexibility and income for me to focus way more on my music, once it’s up and running of course.
And aside from music, I love technology, and helping people use it to make their lives easier. That is why, I’m proud to announce the launch of a new website, Cloud Coach, where I’ll be blogging and offering my coaching services. The goal is to help people live and work in harmony with technology.
How can I help you?
I know that as independent musicians, we are constantly faced with technology challenges and don’t always have a team of professionals to help us. I’m happy to be offering free 15 minute sessions, and would like to invite the readers of From Scratch to stop over to Cloud Coach, and sign up for a free session. Perhaps there is something I can help you with that will help you take your online presence as a musician to the next level. Also, if you stop by between April 6th and 13th, I’ll be running a contest where you can win a free month of coaching! I would be honored if you stopped by Cloud Coach and said hello. Cheers!
About the Author: Ethan Waldman is a technology coach who believes you should always have control of the technology in your life. He is also an independent musician who sounds like an acoustic version of Radiohead collaborating with the John Lennon. Ethan lives in Burlington, VT.
*Photo, “Launch”, courtesy of tricky. CC-BY-NC-SA 2.0
Continuing the Continuum Program
It’s the last week of the Music Success in Nine Weeks Blog Challenge … again!
Double Rainbow All the Way!!
Photo by (Paul Johnston-Knight) / CC BY-SA 2.0
I don’t think it would be an exaggeration to say that the second time through this program was far more rewarding than the first. Looking back at my Week 1 entry for the second wave, I smiled. At the time, I was so enthusiastic about how much more fun the second wave would be and my main focus was on integrating the techniques and practices from the first round into a more healthy and harmonious framework for organizing my business, life, and development as an artist.
During the first wave I was pulling all-nighters, drinking way too much coffee, skipping meals, barely seeing friends, hardly touching an instrument and freaking out over deadlines because I scheduled way too much for myself. Writing this blog now, with the sound of my new songwriting partner jamming out on an electric kit in the other room and with me feeling rested, well nourished, and stress and guilt free after a night of socializing with friends and catching up with family … I think I pulled it off.
Because of this program, my determination, and the help of some really awesome people, the business side of my music is moving forward in really great and exciting ways:
1)The webcast is running smoothly and we have our first ever online art auction happening this Tuesday, streaming live from Aspetta Cafe in the heart of Kensington Market, Toronto, Canada. The fine art pieces our musical guests created on the show over the past 6 months are being auctioned off to raise money for our local food bank this holiday season (Tune in at 8pm EST to check out the madness, hear some really great performers and, of course, bid on the art pieces).
2) The button maker campaign with RocketHub was a great success and I now have more button orders than I can presently keep up with. Thankfully, I have partnered up with The Fine Print copy shop for all my printing needs (they’re really cool guys and they give me a great deal for doing regular business with them). The bands and artists are really excited to be able to get buttons made at such low cost and everyone feels good about knowing that the proceeds go back to musicians and improving the webcast (paying performers and saving for better gear/programs, etc.).
3) I’ve been receiving more promotional opportunities: was invited to a SAC photoshoot to help promote their soon-to-open co-writing studio, recorded a feature interview being aired on a local college radio station in January, have SNAP magazine coming out to the webcast art auction, have had more podcast plays, was introduced to Ethan Waldman‘s fans by doing a list exchange for our last newsletters, and had a feature interview about my crowdfunding experience in the RocketHub blog.
4) My network is growing daily (attended the IGDA social meet up and the Professional Sound Anniversary Party) and I have connected with really insightful and inspiring people, like Derek Sivers.
5) My behind the scenes team, band and fan base are growing, as well as the readership rates of my blog and newsletters. Best of all, people are demanding new music… that’s the kind of peer pressure that makes me very happy :)
Journalling my experiences and interacting with other bloggers/readers has been meaningful and fun; documenting the process, in a strange way, has made my accomplishments feel more real because I can see the proof in front of me; connecting with other people inside and outside the Cyber PR forum has introduced me to a new sense of community and affirmed my belief that independent musicians have an amazing strength when they work together. The industry is changing in very exciting ways for artists and there is an incredible support network of professionals out there who are reaching out and trying to help us:
Ariel Hyatt -CyberPR (Marketing)
Tom Jackson -On Stage Success (Live Performance Production)
Derek Sivers – CD Baby (distribution)/MuckWork (help with uncreative work)
Bandzoogle (websites)
Vlad and Brian at RocketHub (Crowdfunding)
SOCAN (Canada)/BMI & ASCAP (USA) (Royalty collection)
SAC/ NSAI (Songwriter development)
NMS/CMW/NXNE/SXSW (Music Conferences you can learn from. Can’t afford it? Volunteer)
(leave a comment with anyone else you think should be added to this list)
All the tools and resources are out there to build our own careers, all we have to do is make the decision to do it :) … That’s pretty cool.
So what does all of this have to do with Chapter 9: Creating a Continuum Program? Everything. In this chapter, Ariel dives into strategies for generating income from your music but, on another parallel, the idea of a continuum program is what the whole book is about. It’s not just about selling your music and merch, but creating a meaningful, long term career in the music industry. I got the button making project underway (an idea I chose to focus on during week 9 of wave 2) during this wave and part of the campaign itself involved creating a funnel-like structure of goods/services that could be offered in exchange for funds (just like Ariel teaches: offer a range of low cost paraphernalia to higher cost items/content/services). It worked really well for the button making campaign, so I have transposed that funnel into my store on my website and will continue to use it as my regular model until I am ready to come out with the next album.
The marketing process doesn’t stop after Chapter 9 though. It’s a lifestyle change, like eating better or exercising, not a magic diet pill. That’s why I signed up for the third wave after completing the second. The list of accomplishments/successes I listed above is greater than what I could claim after the second wave and the list will get bigger and better as I continue to implement the strategies I have learned and bring more people on board who want to be part of my vision. That thrills me.
I have decided to start again this week with chapter one. Because I have already been through the process twice, I have a foundation. It’s not starting over though, it’s building on top. For blogging, however, I want to take a new direction and have decided to start my own blogging challenge to help me work through the re-visioning of myself as an artist while preparing and writing the next album and refining my live performance. I’m doing this for myself, but encourage anyone who wants to join me to blog along with me and leave a link to your own blog in the comment section so I (and others) can read about your experiences too. We can all learn from each other :)
Perhaps we should have a Twitter hashtag too, like Ariel does … #aiimm (that’s short for “adventures in independent music making”). Then we can find each others’ blogs through twitter when they’re posted.
This coming week: Who The H*ll Am I? Where am I going?
Like Week 1 of Ariel’s marketing strategy, I’m going to take the next week to think about an action plan for refining who I am as an artist (as opposed to a business head) and decide on a few key components of artistic development I need to focus on in order to bring my authentic inner artist out. Maybe it will also be a 9 week plan… we’ll see. Regardless, I see this as a good opportunity to overcome insecurities I have as an artist, come out of my shell and learn how to be a better musician, writer and performer.
Nothing to lose, right? Who’s on board? :)
Meghan Morrison
www.meghanmorrison.com
@MegsMorrison
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Challenge Week 9: Creating a Continuum Program
Read this Blog in 27 Other Languages
Eternal Clock, available for use under a Creative Commons 2.0 License, by Robbert van der Steeg
I just got back from dropping off my Creators and Composers Grant application to the Toronto Arts Council (… fingers crossed for a successful outcome). It seems the more I take on, the more I take on, the more I take on… and, being a perfectionist, the more I edit, the more I edit, the more I edit. Alas, for the first time in these 9 weeks of the blog challenge, my Music Success in Nine Weeks blog is being written late (on Monday instead of Sunday). Four weeks ago I would have beaten myself up over this: “I should have planned things better”; “I shouldn’t have taken on so much”; “I can’t do this all on my own”. Now I’m able to look back and say “Balls! That sucks. I really like getting things done on time, but look at everything I DID accomplish to keep me from getting my blog done on time! I bought a house, set up the utilities, packed everything, moved in, met with contractors, cleaned the house before helping roommates move in the next day, started setting up the studio in the basement; I put in 3 solid days at the vocal school, had office hours with Addie (my volunteer online promotions teammate) to draw up her contract, hours, and action plan; Overcame the challenge of “Surprise! No Internet Today!” by finding an alternate venue for my webcast and making sure all the guests knew about the changes and where to go … then ran the webcast; Finished a grant application, press kit and log book with my manager; Went to investigate button making machines for my Continuum Program and created a first draft of ideas for said continuum program (see below); Had a decent rehearsal and started writing a new song; Went to see my friends play their last Canadian tour gig and revelled in the magic of Nuit Blanche“.
I think I’ll forgive myself for being late this time … and anytime, for that matter, because it’s still moving forward, even if it’s not on time.
Directly, the experience of going through this 9 week blog challenge has taught me an incredible amount about marketing my music. Indirectly, it has taught me how to survive. The last two years, after giving up my academic life in pursuit of my artistic life, have been an emotional rollercoaster to say the least: Excited for the ride, but also scared as hell; Not knowing how fast it’s going to go or if I have the strength to hold on if my seat belt breaks; Just knowing I’m on board and trusting the instincts that told me to get on the ride in the first place … it is frightening and blissful at the same time. You know, something only crazy people get themselves into. I’m a little less of a madman now, because I no longer feel like I am precariously juggling life, business, and art (trying not to let one or all of them drop). Rather, all the facets of my passion have become stripes on a beach ball; one cohesive unit that has clearly distinguished parts that are sewn together, bringing me a sense of balance and strength when I’m being bounced around.
As romantic as the craziness was (and still is), I did want some semblance of structure -a way to know I was doing everything I could do to keep the tracks maintained. Ariel’s program was just that. Being involved in this blog challenge has helped me develop the framework I need to really turn my music into a career instead of a sideshow. Now I am more confident than ever that I can and will pull it off, but also know that if I’m in this for the long haul, it will always be a process, it will always take time, so why not let myself enjoy it now? Industries and times change and, because I am an artist, I also change and grow with time and so should my business. Now that I’m a little further up the slope, I can finally take a look back, take a breath and think it through. Then make a plan and build the wall again, each time reusing the pieces that worked well and putting the others off to the side for other projects or perhaps future use later down the road. Lather, rinse, repeat. It’s not starting from scratch, not really. It’s a healthy cycle of repairing and reviving. So there is no need for me to panic and get frustrated anymore. That is why I decided to sign up for the third wave of Ariel’s blog challenge. This time my challenge isn’t going to be whether or not I can accomplish everything that’s in the book (admittedly, there are some things I need to catch up on), but rather how much I can surprise myself with ways to build from it now that I have a strong foundation, a clearer vision, and a bigger team to help me. Third wave starts October 11th, if you want to join me.
As for concluding my marketing plan for this wave, Week 9 involved designing a continuum program. Basically, a way to make money off of all the work I have done in the previous 8 weeks and will continue to do in the future. Ariel suggests creating your program by visualizing it as a funnel (or upside down pyramid). At the top of the funn-amid, you have smaller (or free) purchases that many people will be likely to snag, like free downloads with a sign up for your newsletter. As the funnel gets smaller, so does the number of customers, but the price gets higher and these are the items you offer to the true blue fans that want to support you and your art, regardless of the amount of money. Everywhere in between are a variety of services and items that you can create for all the fans who are in between (weebles wobble, but they don’t fall down! … where did that come from? The easily distracted mind never rests).
I have decided to start with a small funnel for this wave of the blog challenge, with my focus on getting the button making project together. Critical Buttons in Toronto sells and rents the machines (and also just buttons if you don’t want to make them yourself). Because we do an art project during every webcast (the pieces are going to be auctioned off for charity at the end of the year), I thought it would make sense to start making buttons out of the art pieces. Half of the proceeds will go to the charity (yet to be decided) and half to the artists. Plus, this way I can make my own buttons or even buttons for other artists/bands. Then I’ll start a button of the month club where people can subscribe to receive either that month’s featured button, or a button that I choose at random… haven’t fully decided yet. Maybe it will be both. The rest of the funnel will include CD packages. I have decided to do some remixes of the DTour songs (the album is a limited quantity and I will not be making more of them) and plan to package those with a copy of the CD my brother and I made with our old band (Purl of Surf). Then at the bottom of the funnel, I will offer to create and record (at home) a custom song for anyone who wants one. I’ve done a few of these as gifts this year and really enjoyed it. I’m looking forward to getting the “store” up and really running.
Well, that’s all for now, but I guess there are no sad soppy so-longs because I’ll see you again next week in Wave 3! Kudos to everyone who stuck it through these 9 weeks and beyond. It was great to read your blogs and learn alongside you.
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